Is Von Smith the Next American Idol?

Like Joanna Pacitti, Von Smith is another contestant on season eight of American Idol, rumored to have received a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Readers may actually have seen this aspiring singer in action before, as he rose to viral fame via a YouTube video of him singing “And I Am Telling You,” the song from Dreamgirls that basically won Jennifer Hudson an Oscar.

Due to the video's popularity, Smith was invited to perform on The View and BET’s 106 and Park. Here's his performance of the song on the former show: